For those people who still own stock, this is good news: their once vanished equity slowly regaining their worth increases their overall financial independence. And for those who had capital to invest in the market when it was at or near its low, they really should be feeling good about the news.

But for those who didn’t own stock or have 401(k)s, or who used up all of their savings to stay afloat while they were looking for work, this doesn’t help them much. Now, it could be the case that the uptick in jobs is related to this rise in the stock market. Either way, it seems that this news is indicative of one industry doing well: the financial district.

McDonald’s Corp. gained 0.5 percent to $75.38 after it said it meet analyst expectations and warned that rising food costs could affect its margins this year.

J.C. Penny Co. jumped 7 percent to $32.52 after the retailer said it would close some stores and its catalog business to reduce costs.

So, a large retailer company shutting stores – and thus, laying off most likely hundreds of people – is good news worthy of its stock going up? And while McDonald’s showing slight improvement means that those entry-level jobs may stay intact, but those aren’t the types of careers that families can live on.

A bright spot perhaps:

Materials companies rose after a report from the National Association for Business Economics showed that economists are more positive about economic growth and the job market than at any time since the start of the Great Recession in December 2007.

Though the stocks went up based on the speculation that jobs will continue to grow, not on actual job growth. Given what we know about the depths of the unemployment rate, it seems like the stock market could be getting a bit ahead of itself.

Business analysts could be predicting job growth because they expect the extra income received by stockholders to become an increase in the money supply and therefore an increase in jobs. The fallacy there is that businesses tend to expand only when signs point to long-term economic growth, which is still dubious in the current market. The very optimism of business economists is likely an attempt to increase confidence in a long-term recovery, and therefore entice businesses to expand jobs. It’s such a mind#&!$.

Also even if they add jobs, it doesn’t mean they’re going to be adding them here in America. Tech companies, especially. Manufacturing has gone overseas where labor is cheaper. What’s good for big business doesn’t always mean good for everyday Americans.